Biggest Upset: This has to go to Mad Hatter IPA from New Holland Brewing beating out Alesmith IPA. I’ve only had the Mad Hatter once or twice, but I don’t remember being impressed. The Alesmith IPA is bursting with hop flavor, yet not entirely unbalanced every time I’ve had it. Wish I could see the judges’ notes on this matchup.

Other surprising results include the Dogfish Head 60 Minute losing to the Ithaca Flower Power and the Haverhill Leatherlips IPA beating out local favorite Diamond Knot IPA.; I demand a bottle/growler of this Haverhill IPA to judge for myself immediately.

The 2nd round is on Friday, March 1 and features a tough matchup between Founder’s Red’s Rye and Lagunitas IPA.

If you didn’t fill out a bracket, you can still do so for the 2nd rounds and later on the website linked to above. You just won’t be eligible to win prizes.